Not Complaining
by MKRG
Summary: Daniel finds himself lost in another world that looks hauntingly like his own. Vala shows up to make life interesting. DV Friendship.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So I wrote this back in July 2010, long before another great fic appeared on ffnet with a familiar premise. I noticed because I've been following said fic. I really feel strange about it because my idea came from my brain and that other author's idea came from his/her brain. So, that being said, this is not related to or inspired by anything other than the show itself, Stargate SG-1. I guess it's just a coincidence!

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Part 1

Daniel wasn't sure how it happened. Only that it did. The fact that something like this occurred was unsurprising to the seasoned member of SG-1. He'd seen it all – twice over. So when he found himself inhabiting the body of a man who strangely resembled him but was _not_ him, Daniel Jackson decided to just ride the wave and see where it would take him. Who knows, maybe another freak accident would help him out of this silly little mess he'd gotten into.

He couldn't say that he was complaining.

000

It all started when he, Mitchell, Vala, and Teal'c visited an uninhabited planet on the outskirts of the galaxy. The rock had previously been explored by Sam via _George Hammond_ scan, but she had no time to go down to the surface and investigate. She had been called away. Another team needed her help elsewhere in the universe. Or so she said. Thus, SG-1 in its current form of four members, two of which who were original, went to finish what Sam had started.

She requested that they check it out for a couple of reasons. One, she felt that the Ancient design of the ruins might interest Daniel and lead him to even more interesting finds.

Two, SG-1 was bored as hell and everyone knew it. They were running amok in the SGC and word had gotten around to the other two original members (Jack and Sam) that something needed to be done. Apparently, with the only galactic threat being boredom, each member had been desperate to occupy their time with something… _anything_.

Mitchell had taken to running – in the halls. Treadmills were not stimulating enough in his opinion, though a whole line of them stood waiting for his use. And he refused to go running topside, lest a car or truck run him over when he wasn't looking. This also allowed him to be closer to the action, what little there was left to have. Since the Ori had been defeated and other teams were taking care of the remaining Goa'uld threat (which let's face it, wasn't much of a threat), action was rare and far and few between.

His route through the halls of the SGC changed daily, and no one on base had any warning when he would dash by. Everyone was on edge, afraid that his mad rush to nowhere would knock over sensitive equipment or a carefully organized jumble of important documents. On more than one occasion such things had been sacrificed for the sake of Mitchell attempting to run from his boredom.

Teal'c was much less annoying but that much more painful. The Jaffa High Council was currently in recess, meaning that the resident Jaffa had nothing important to attend to offworld. He had already visited his family and friends numerous times. Now his interest rested on the SGC, where a series of new recruits had taken posts. He made it his mission to train these soldiers into capable warriors worthy of taking on the challenges that this galaxy often presented. And it was a mission he enjoyed thoroughly.

The training sessions began innocently enough as seminars on the ways of the Jaffa people. He instructed the trainees on codes of honor, culture, and best of all – battle strategies. Most of his students were enthralled with this, Teal'c being their first alien and all. But once a class completed the seminars, Teal'c moved them on to physical training. And that's where it got a little, oh, difficult. By General Landry's order, all new recruits were required to complete Teal'c's training, so no one had a way out of the constant beating they were in for.

The Jaffa's aim was to have everyone on based trained to use a wooden staff in close combat. Every recruit left his course with bruises galore. Dr. Lam was a little more than peeved that Teal'c was beating up her otherwise healthy patients. He was soon ready to graduate the latest class of recruits and move on to training regular SG team members. Most (with the exception of Mitchell, who was eager to be Teal'c's assistant) dreaded the training. They made silent pleas to whatever God would listen that the galaxy would erupt in turmoil soon and occupy Teal'c with something other than them.

And now to Daniel and Vala. One cannot describe their mayhem without referring to them as one entity. For it was their _relationship_ that both disgusted others and provided a great deal of gossip material for the local grapevine. A typical day would go like this: One would walk the halls of the base casually, minding one's own business, until one would have to stop. Seeing Daniel and Vala together was now referred to as "the Obstruction in the hall," for they often invaded other people's personal spaces when their bickering and snarking turned violent. At such point, most individuals would choose to find another route to their destination. Very few braved the Obstruction anymore. And many complained they were late to meetings because of it.

One time, the archaeologist and the pirate were slapping each other silly when a group of marines came across them. The soldiers were making haste to the gate room and the pair was in the way. Daniel and Vala were unaware that others needed to make use of the hallway, being so engrossed in each other. They made no moves to step aside for the benefit of the marines. The team could have easily chosen another route, but the General had requested their presence immediately and these marines tended to be good with time. Their reputation would not be put at risk because a pair of bumbling idiots who couldn't satisfy their sexual tension stood in the way.

The two chased after each other, running in circles like a dog chasing its tail. When the lead marine attempted to pass he was thrown into the wall while trying to avoid Vala. The second and third marines were accidentally groped by Daniel as he reached out to grab the same woman. This made them none too happy. The fourth and last marine was quite aware of the Obstruction by this point and decided to take matters into his own hands. He grabbed Vala in a bear-hug from behind and physically moved her out of the way. Daniel protested, and once Vala wiggled out of the marine's grasp, she promptly slapped him. Hard. The marines made it to the gate room on time, but not before feeling thoroughly assaulted by a civilian and his so-called alien girlfriend. General Landry gave them a look, but said nothing.

Getting anywhere on base was now considered more dangerous than visiting a new alien planet, what with Daniel and Vala always in the way and Mitchell threatening to run you over and Teal'c pining to get you pinned with a wooden stick. Calls for help flooded the inbox of Jack O'Neill, miles away in Washington.

Jack, being Jack, chose to delegate. He was "the man" after all. In short, he told Carter to take care of it or else he was dumping SG-1 on her ship. At which case they would most definitely become her problem. She simply sighed and took it in stride because she already had this little plan cooked up. General Landry had made a personal plea to Sam to give them something to do before he had SG-1 lined up and executed for _grand theft sanity_. It wasn't that she couldn't survey the planet herself, but rather, she chose to offer her assistance to one of the SG teams somewhere far, far away. As the Colonel of a starship in Earth's fleet, she made it her business to know where every SG team was and what they were doing. She chose one that had the highest chance of running into trouble and rushed off with her hyperdrive on overdrive.

All of these events led to the presence of SG-1 on the little planet with Ancient ruins. The team was excited to be offworld again, even if it was only to do a safe, boring survey. Mitchell assigned Vala to be on watch with Teal'c, feeling the need to separate her from her arch-nemesis before they shot each other with zats and P-90s. The team leader took it upon himself to be Daniel's assistant for this mission, and that's ultimately what got Daniel into his current predicament. You see, Mitchell was never quite good at keeping his curiosity under control. One would not think so initially with Vala on the same team, she being the lover of pressing random buttons and moving artifacts from their thousand-year resting places. But he had his own version of dangerous, cat-killing curiosity. Mitchell's own failings were just overshadowed by Vala's. Now that she wasn't here, it was his chance to shine.

Daniel was busy studying a block of text on the wall. He didn't bother to take photos anymore as he could easily translate the Ancient words in his head, then write down their meaning. Currently, he had not translated enough of the writing to determine its purpose. Out of context, it wasn't saying much yet. So his notebook remained blank and his eyes stayed glued to the wall.

Mitchell busied himself with checking the dusty underground room for booby traps or other evidence of tampering. That task was completed easily since the room was practically devoid of anything. All it contained besides the writing on the wall was a console in the center of its space. The cylindrical thing rose from the ground all the way to the ceiling, and then some. Its spire stuck high out of the ruins, beckoning people like Daniel to come near. With it being the only object of interest in the room, Mitchell spent the most attention on the console. Warning bells failed to sound in his mind as his fingers reached out to brush dust off of the Ancient thing. He was unaware that the other side of it had begun to glow. He leaned in closer to study it and ascertain its purpose, in the hopes that perhaps he could figure it out before Daniel could.

He tapped a button. Nothing really happened. He tried another. Nothing. Convinced that it was harmless, Mitchell tapped a series of buttons, at which point, there was a flash of colorful light. "Cool," he commented with the accent of a California surfer dude. "Hey Jackson, check this out… Jackson?" Mitchell looked all around the room, but he was gone. His face went blank. "Oops."

000

Daniel found himself in the oddest of places. Prometheus. His BDUs were different now. He no longer had his jacket on, wearing just the black T-shirt he reserved for being on base, or in this case, on ship. His sleeve had a hole in it. _Funny_, he thought, _that almost never happens_. The ship was missing something. Yes, a crew. Alarm lights were flashing but no sounds were going off.

He casually perused the halls, searching for any sign of life, until he came across the bridge. While the room itself held no occupants, a monitor showed a familiar figure locked up in the brig. Vala was definitely fuming. Daniel smirked. He knew exactly where the others were. This was the day he met Vala. As far as how he got here or why he was reliving these exact moments, he had no clue. Something told him the tapping sound he heard prior to arriving here had something to do with it. When he got back he'd have a little chat with Mitchell about keeping one's hands to oneself.

Daniel went through a variety of possible scenarios as he studied the displays on the bridge. Could this be another time? Unlikely. The only way he knew of to travel through time was to pass through a wormhole intersecting a solar flare. He decided to scroll through some of the screens to glean more information from the ship. Meanwhile, Vala made an attempt to break out of her brig cell, only to be met with a nasty shock from the wall pad.

One of the monitors showed the mission commander's name – General Hammond. It also showed who was working the weapons console – Lt. Kilbourne. Okay, not correct. Walter was here the day Vala came along. In fact, his name was nowhere to be found on the ship's manifest. So, not another time. Daniel wondered, _What else could this be?_ He pinched his shoulder where the sleeve had a hole in it. "Ow," he complained to himself. Something told him this wasn't a hallucination. Daniel let out a breath as he looked around. If this were another time, he'd have liked to arrive a little sooner so he could recommend that they never make the detour and get hi-jacked by Vala. But as it was, he was stuck in whatever the hell place this was at the moment.

"Go with the flow," he told himself quietly. Daniel knew the access code was changed but tried to gain control of the ship anyway. Nothing. The display confirmed what he already knew – Prometheus was traveling to a far-off planet and preparing to land.

The coms unit sounded. "Vala, this is Tenat. We have you on our scanners." The voice of the strange alien sounded just as eerie as he remembered.

"Here we go," Daniel grumbled. He pressed the response button. "Uhh, yeah, hi."

"Where is Vala?" Tenat demanded.

Daniel sucked in a breath. "She's here. She's just… indisposed at the moment."

"She did not mention she was working with someone," the alien said suspiciously.

"No, I guess not." Daniel thought quickly. He remembered that Tenat and Jup had a considerable caseload of naquedah with them. He also remembered that General Hammond and the Alkesh would be here soon, _if_ this were indeed the same scenario he had experienced. If he could get his hands on the naquedah and save the ship, that would be very, very nice. "Look, I know I owe you an explanation. I'll meet you outside as soon as we land."

"We will meet you at the designated coordinates and inspect your ship."

"Okie dokie. See you there," Daniel quipped. He sighed outwardly as soon as the connection was cut. Would it be possible to send a communiqué to General Hammond on the little Alkesh? The monitor he tried to use for that purpose beeped angrily at him. Okay, maybe not. Daniel geared up in the old supersoldier suit Vala had brought with her. Didn't hurt to be protected.

When he ventured to the surface after landing, he saw exactly what he was expecting. Two lizard-looking aliens approaching. They held a nice big box between them. "Hi, guys," he said cheerfully.

"Where is Vala?"

"Inside. She sent me out instead. She's a little afraid of getting a sunburn. Forgot her sunblock at home. You know her, silly Vala always forgetting things. For instance, she forgot to tell you I was with her." Daniel raised his eyebrow and cocked his head.

Tenat and Jup looked at each other. "We will only do business with Vala," Tenat said sternly.

"I thought you might say that." In the span of a few seconds, Daniel zatted both aliens. They fell heavily to the ground, leaving the nice big box exposed. Daniel wasted no time attempting to drag it to the ship because he knew what was coming next. "Grrrrcrap this is heavy."

The sound of gliders approaching made him pick up the pace. He was still a few feet away from the door, struggling with the box. They began to reign fire down on the ship. He counted himself lucky that he wasn't hit. Hopefully they didn't see what he was doing. He managed to drag the case onboard and run straight to Vala's cell. Sparks flew around him, a tell-tale sign that the ship was taking damage.

She spun around from the security camera as soon as the door opened. "What's happening?"

Daniel kept his zat within her line of sight. "Ship's under attack by gliders. You need to give me the access code."

"Let me out of here and I'll help you!"

"Good, I was hoping you'd say that." Daniel sheathed his zat and hauled Vala over his shoulder.

She screamed in protest. "You don't have to do this, you know!"

"Yes I do. You'll just waste valuable time running your mouth and we need to get to the bridge."

Traveling upside-down, Vala opened and closed her mouth. "What about my buyers?"

"I zatted them."

"And the naquedah?"

"Wouldn't you like to know."

"What? Daniel!"

"Shut up, Vala, and unlock the ship," he said as he dropped her down. They had arrived at the bridge to find more sparks flying as conduits surged with excess power. Each went to their own consoles and sat down.

Daniel stayed calm, not worried in the least.

"Alright," she said, "Raise shields."

"I take it we can't jump into hyperspace."

"No, we've taken too much hull damage."

Before Vala could announce, "Incoming Alkesh," Daniel armed the weapons by reaching up to hit a few switches. The firing system began targeting the large ships on their way to greet them. The Prometheus began its slow ascent out of the atmosphere.

She soon declared, "Shields are failing." Daniel continued firing manually from one of the rail guns. "And shields are down!" The ship protested as it lurched forward against the battery of assaults. "We are almost out of weapons!" Vala shouted.

"Wait for it."

"Wait for what!"

"Wait for it." Soon one Alkesh was firing on another. A few gliders were destroyed in the blasts.

"What just happened?"

"Help just arrived, that's what happened." Within moments, the gliders chose to fall back.

"Dr. Jackson. This is General Hammond, do you copy?"

Then Daniel remembered. In his world, the General had already been dead for a year. He eased himself into the command chair next to Vala. "General Hammond, it's good to hear your voice, Sir," Daniel said with a sad smile. Vala looked on sadly, but for wholly different reasons.

"Likewise. Are you alright, son?"

"Yes, yes, we're fine."

"Are we clear to ring aboard?"

"Standby." Daniel turned to Vala. "Unlock the system." She hesitated. "Those gliders likely retreated to a nearby mothership. We have to get out of here now. Unlock the system."

She stared at him silently for a moment, then nodded. She tapped on the console and looked back at him in confirmation.

"You're all clear, sir." Daniel leaned back in the chair.

"What are you going to do with me?" Vala said quietly.

Honestly, Daniel didn't know. The last time this happened, Vala had escaped custody before they could get home. He had never considered what the SGC would have done with her if she had made it home with them. He studied her worried face. "I'm not sure."

"Look, Daniel, whatever happens, I just want you to know…" Curiosity prevented him from zatting her at that very moment. He had never learned what she was about to say the first time this happened. "We could have made a great team."

Great team. Huh. Well, she wasn't wrong. She did bring something to SG-1 that was valuable. Did he really want to see her go this time? Chances would be he'd see her again, after she escaped of course, but that would bring about a whole host of other problems. Namely, the Ori. Daniel weighed his options in that split-second.

"I think it would be best if you let me do all the talking when they get here."

She nodded, not knowing how else to respond.

"Go with the flow."

"Huh?"

"Oh, uhh, it means, just play along with me. And don't look too surprised." Vala cocked her head, but didn't say anything.

000

_The Original Daniel's Universe_

Vala and Teal'c rushed into the cavernous room at Mitchell's call. "What? What's wrong!" Vala shouted. Teal'c scanned the room, finding nothing of consequence.

Mitchell stood there next to the console with a cheesy grin. "You're not gonna believe this."

"Believe what," Teal'c intoned.

"Jackson disappeared."

Vala blew hair out of her face. "Pfft, what's new?"

"No, I mean, out of thin air."

Vala and Teal'c shared a look. "Colonel Mitchell, what have you done?"

"Me?" he asked indignantly. "Why do you automatically assume it's my fault?"

"Because, there's only one other person who could screw up that much, and I wasn't even in the room," Vala replied. She said this nonchalantly, as if this fact was no big deal.

Mitchell looked down, feeling chastised. "Well," he said, shuffling his feet, "I didn't know it would do that." He gestured toward the device in the center of the room.

Vala sighed and took a closer look. She managed to open a control panel and a tray of crystals slid out. "Did Daniel mention anything about what this was before he magically disappeared?"

"Uhh, no."

"Did Daniel even _look_ at this thing?"

"Nope."

Teal'c shook his head imperceptibly. "Perhaps we should contact the SGC and inform them of what has transpired."

Mitchell bit his lip. "Go ahead, T. Just don't tell 'em it was my fault." He grinned sheepishly. If the Jaffa was in the habit of rolling his eyes, he would have at that moment. He simply nodded his head in annoyance and left the room.

"If you had been the one to take the perimeter, this might have never happened," Vala sing-songed.

"Oh no, princess. You're not putting all the blame on me. You and the egghead have been butting heads for months. I can't have you screaming at each other all day long when I have to be anywhere near you. For all we know, you'd bring the whole place down on top of you and then I'd have _double_ the paperwork to do."

Vala scoffed. "If you had kept me with Daniel, he would still be here, arguing with me, safe and sound!"

"Safe, maybe. Sound! No way, Jose."

Vala just growled and returned her attention to the device.

000

_The Alternate Daniel's Universe_

Daniel was in the ship's briefing room with General Hammond and Vala, who was dutifully silent. "I recommend SG-3 go on ahead of us in the Alkesh."

"Any particular reason why?"

"Well, sir, we mentioned that it is a valuable piece of technology. Better to precede our homecoming with something of value. Seeing as how…" Daniel paused and glanced at Vala, "we got ship-jacked and now can't complete our mission to Atlantis."

Hammond considered this for a moment. "Perhaps you're right. I'll give the order right away." He made a call to the bridge.

_Whew. Now Vala won't have any other way to get off the ship. Or have need to plow through anyone trying. Hopefully not letting her go will prevent her from finding that stupid tablet and leading us on a wild goose chase in Glastonbury. Or getting stuck in those damned bracelets again._

"Now explain what happened here, son." He looked from Daniel to Vala.

"Ahh, so, as you know, a Goa'uld Super Soldier ringed aboard." Hammond nodded. "Well, this character happened to be another alien in disguise." It wasn't too far off from the truth.

"This woman we found on board with you?"

Daniel blinked. Rat out Vala? Hmm, very tempting. "No. She came along later. So the alien was really some sort of thief looking for a nice, big ship to steal. That's why the anti-supersoldier weapon didn't work on him." _Crap, the security tapes._ He had just lied to General Hammond's face and there was evidence to the contrary sitting in the databanks. Daniel glanced at Vala, half-expecting her to read his mind. But no, her face remained blank. This wasn't his Vala, the one who usually knew what he was thinking and would already be halfway there before he suggested it out loud. "He took control of the ship. I escaped while he was distracted. When the ship landed, he got off and I followed. A bit of a firefight ensued when he met up with one of his buddies."

Daniel was surprised Vala hadn't interrupted yet. Could it be that this version of the woman was a little more, dare he think it, quiet?

"I managed to zat both of them. Meanwhile, Vala, here, their prisoner, was crouched down behind the crate to get out of the line of fire. The one with all the naquedah in it," he said with a triumphant smile.

Hammond studied Vala. "When did you have time to give her one of our uniforms?"

Daniel froze.

"I was naked," Vala deadpanned.

Daniel looked at her in surprise.

"It became a necessity for him to find the time. Wouldn't want the _entire_ crew to see me raw," she said with a sultry tone directed toward Daniel, "and vulnerable."

Hammond swallowed, then coughed uncomfortably. "I see." He turned to address her directly. "Why would these aliens take you prisoner?"

Daniel trusted her to come up with something convincing.

"Honestly, you want the real truth?" Daniel raised an eyebrow while Hammond nodded patiently. Vala was quick to make up a lie. "If you must know, they wanted me to be their sex slave."

"Oh god," Daniel muttered under his breath.

Hammond sat back. "Ahh. I see. We'd be happy to return you to your people."

Daniel's eyes went wide as Vala made a small smile. "Uhh, no. I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?" both said simultaneously.

"Didn't you mention that your own people sold you out?" Daniel said, waggling his eyebrows quickly before Hammond would notice.

Vala opened her mouth. Then looked down in shame. "It's true." She looked back up at Hammond with the biggest puppy eyes she could muster. "I try to forget that my own stepmother did this to me," she said sadly. "All I can think about is going home to my father."

Daniel fought the urge to gag. She wasn't getting out of his sight that easily. "General, maybe we should let her stay with us for a while."

Hammond, being the gentleman he was, agreed. "You can stay with us for the duration of our journey back. We also have a stargate should you feel the need to…"

Daniel coughed to interrupt. "Maybe, one thing at a time," he said softly to the General. "She has been through a lot."

Hammond smiled apologetically then stood up. In honor of his fallen commander back home, Daniel stood as well. "We'll have you assigned to some quarters. Dr. Jackson if you would please be her escort and make sure she's comfortable."

He nodded. "Yes, sir." The General left them alone in the room. Daniel let out a breath. "We have to erase the security footage." He turned back to Vala to find her grinning at him. "What?"

"Why did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Lie to them on my behalf?"

"I, uhh…"

Vala stood up and inched very close to him. Her face was mere centimeters from his. "You like me," she said in a sexy voice.

Daniel stood his ground. _Only sometimes_. "You were once a host. I'm pretty sure most of what you've told me is lies, but you can't lie about being a host." Vala looked down, disarmed. "I can imagine you really have been through a lot." It had been ages since Daniel considered that about her. And now that he was actually using it against her, to keep her from coming on to him, he felt a little guilty for being so mean to his own Vala.

She didn't reply and turned around.

"I've known a couple people who have gone through what you've gone through. I know it's… difficult."

Vala turned right back around, suddenly angry. "And out of the goodness of your heart you decide to take _pity_ on me?"

Daniel was taken aback. "Uhh, no, no, it's not like that."

"Or maybe you want to use this opportunity for leverage. Keep your mouth shut as long as I do what you want. What exactly do you want from me, Daniel Jackson?" She was quite heated now.

_Damn she's hot_. He shook his head. "Nothing, nothing! Look," he raised his palms in a pleading motion, "I just want…" _Think, Daniel, think._ "Information."

She lowered her hands, which had been ready to punch him. "What kind of information?" she said suspiciously.

_I can't believe I'm going to do this. Forgive me now._ "About my… my… wife."

"And just what would you expect me to know about your wife?"

"She was host to Amonet."

Vala paused. "Are you lying to me?"

Daniel winced. "No, never about that." It was the god-honest truth.

A strained look crossed her face and she sat down. "Amonet is dead, from what I've heard," she said softly. All pretenses were gone. All attempts to negotiate a way out of this were gone. Vala felt instantly sorry for this ridiculously honest man, almost as sorry as she felt for herself.

"I know. It was my… friend… that killed her."

"And your wife?"

"Dead along with the symbiote. One staff blast."

Vala kept her eyes on his face, searching for deception. She only recognized pain. "I'm sorry."

He sighed. "It was a long time ago."

Vala shifted in her chair. "What exactly do you want to know?"

He didn't immediately answer. He never had the guts to ask Vala about this before and wasn't sure how to ask now. "Maybe, we should go somewhere more private."

"And the security tapes?"

"Yeah, we need to take care of those, too."

"I take it you know more about this ship than you let on."

Daniel smiled. "Yup."

"The code?"

"Oh no. That I really didn't know." Damned if he could remember a code from years ago.

Vala harumphed and stood up. "Shall we?"

000

_The Original Daniel's Universe_

Her plan had backfired. Sam rubbed a hand down her face. Daniel was now missing. And it was her fault. Crap. Jack wasn't going to like this. She considered giving him a direct call and fessing up now, or waiting to hear the backlash later. She decided later would be better. Maybe by then she could figure out what had happened.

Teal'c had just relayed a message to her through the stargate and the SGC, explaining the situation. He was cryptic, but it sounded like Mitchell had pressed the wrong buttons. She wasn't expecting him to do what he did, but it might have happened regardless. The fact of the matter was, she had sent them to that planet.

Sitting in her private room on the ship, she decided to turn the _Hammond_ around. Better to complete that survey herself she supposed, lest some other poor soul disappear, too.

000

_The Alternate Daniel's Universe_

He showed her to an empty room. There were plenty of them left, just in case the people of Atlantis needed an emergency ride home. Seeing as how the Prometheus was in no shape to provide one, Daniel had a myriad of choices. It was a simple set-up. Just opposite the door was a window. A bed stood against the side wall, its only companion a basic nightstand. There was a tall wardrobe closet across the room and a private bathroom next to that.

Daniel didn't remember his personal quarters on the Prometheus having its own bathroom. Earth ships had public washrooms complete with showers and lockers on almost every level. _This must be the VIP suite_, he mused. _How appropriate_. He watched Vala as she studied the room. She ran her hand along the simple bedding – standard issue green. She opened the drawer of the nightstand and perused the empty wardrobe closet. She was exploring every inch of this room.

"Something the matter?" It didn't occur to him that this was probably the most comfortable room she'd seen in years, despite rating meager by Earth standards.

She merely glanced at him and continued looking. Daniel pursed his lips. He figured she was checking the room for hidden traps or some other such nonsense. She always had to be on edge. If the Vala from his own world could drive him insane, certainly this one could. He tried to be as patient as possible until he finally said, "_What_ are you looking for?"

She made eye contact with him. "Now that you've seen me naked, no doubt you will want more. I am irresistible, after all." Daniel rolled his eyes, but did not interrupt. "I just think a girl deserves a teensy ounce of privacy every now and then."

"You think there are cameras in here?" He shook his head. "We don't watch _everything_ on this ship."

She snorted. "Obviously not if I could take it over in two minutes."

"Ten minutes." He wouldn't give her the dignity of such a small number.

"Two."

"Ten."

She took this as a challenge. "Care to recover the security footage and the logs? Hmm?" She stepped closer into his personal space. Daniel did not back away. "You know I could do it," she said in a low tone.

He glared at her. "So I've heard."

Their staring match continued on for another minute. Eventually, Vala got bored. "So what," she said, gesturing around the room, "do you expect me to do now that I am your captive?"

Daniel furrowed his brow. "You are not my captive."

"Yes, I am."

"No, you're not."

"Then why won't you let me leave?"

Daniel opened his mouth and promptly closed it. He didn't think it was a good idea to explain that he knew the future. He didn't want to give her any ideas, either. There was always the chance that if she ever did escape, she wouldn't find a tablet or think to bring the Kor Mac bracelets anywhere near him. "Uhhh…" was all he could utter.

"Hmpf!" Vala crossed her arms and turned to look out the window. The light of hyperspace zoomed past them.

"Look," he said, finally coming up with something, "that deal of yours back there just got seriously screwed up. I wouldn't doubt that there are some very bad people out looking for you right now."

At this Vala turned around. She seemed to consider his thoughts. "So now you're protecting me?"

His eyes widened for just a second. "Yeah. I guess I am."

She brought her hands together and up toward her face. She tilted her head. "My hero!" she said with a fake, high-pitched tone. Daniel groaned. Strangling her would feel really good right now. She began to laugh. Daniel held his hands up and looked at the sky. _And I'm keeping her, why?_ He got no reply.

When Vala's laughter finally settled down, she said, "I suppose I could lay low for a while. Seeing as how you screwed up the deal, you can help me with that at least."

He looked at her like she was crazy. "Excuse me? If you had never tried to steal this ship, you wouldn't be having this problem."

Vala considered arguing further, especially about the worth of the naquedah, but she thought against it. Better not to tell this simple man what a caseload would fetch on the open market. He might seem trustworthy, but one never knew just how much profit it would take to break that trust. "Oh, I don't know." She approached him again and ran a finger down his chest. Best to deter his attention. "This doesn't look like much of a problem to me." Vala waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Daniel caught her finger and pushed it away. "You are an enigma, Vala Mal Doran." Now it was her turn to look at him funny. "One minute you play the victim, the next you're a dominatrix."

"When did I ever tell you my whole name?" she asked with suspicion.

"You didn't have to. Your buyers did." _Quick thinking there, Daniel._

"Idiots." She hopped onto the bed and donned a seductive pose. "Now where were we?"

"You're going to stay here until I get back. I have things to take care of - ack!" he held up a finger, "that don't involve you!" Vala was about to open her mouth and ask to go with him.

"You're leaving me here?"

"Yes, I'm leaving you here."

"Again, what am I supposed to do?"

"I can tell you are the type of woman who can't sit still." In fact, he knew it more than he ever wanted to know. "I'll bring you something in a little while. Until then, enjoy the peace and quiet." He walked out then, leaving her on the bed with her mouth hanging open. Daniel made it a point to lock the room from the outside with his keycard privileges. That would at least give him enough time to find a magazine or a DVD player or something until she broke out. Which he knew she would do eventually.

He wandered the ship asking random people if they had anything like the above. Eventually someone donated a used women's magazine. Daniel was back at Vala's door within a half hour. When he swiped the card and the door opened, he was kind of surprised. The woman was actually asleep. She had curled up on top of the covers, back facing the door. She must be exhausted, he thought.

Daniel rounded the bed to see if she was really sleeping or not. It seemed as though she was. Her mouth was set in a hard line, body tense. It didn't look as though she was truly relaxed. He wondered if his own Vala looked like that in her sleep. Daniel resisted the urge to move a lock of hair out of her face. Instead, he set the magazine on the nightstand and turned off the light. When he left, he locked the door again.

_Maybe it's time to learn more about this world_. He needed to find a data console. He'd have to find out if one of the labs was free. Learning the history of the galaxy in a few hours would require privacy so no one could ask questions. He was pretty sure there would be differences. He had already spotted one in Walter not being here.

The reality of his situation finally hit him. _This must be one of those alternate universes Sam used to mention._ That had to be it.

000

_The Original Daniel's Universe_

Sam studied her tablet's screen and frowned. She was kneeling down in front of the open control panel of the device that made Daniel disappear, wires trailing from it to her flat screen. As if the computer could sense her disapproval, it quickly displayed something else. She tapped at it again to bring back the other read-out. Power output was significant. Now if she could only figure out what the hell was being powered.

"Colonel, I'm getting a strange reading from over here," said one of her subordinates. She looked up. The Major was staring at a section of wall, a hand-held device pointed at it.

"Oh?" She tapped again on her tablet.

"I don't know what to make of it."

But Sam was too distracted with her own readings to pay any attention to his. "Log it and I'll take a look at it later."

Another subordinate walked in. This time a woman. "Colonel, ground teams haven't found anything yet. But we are getting a strange report from the _Hammond's_ scanners."

Sam pressed furiously on her tablet. She gritted her teeth at it, only half-paying attention to the Lt.'s report.

"The number of life signs it's reading keeps fluctuating. Every once in a while an extra blip shows up."

"Could be interference from this power generator. It's just as powerful as a ZPM if not more," Sam replied absently.

"Yes, ma'am." The woman left.

"Hey, Sam."

"What!" she snapped.

Mitchell's eyes went wide. "I was just," he said, a little fearfully, "checking to see if you needed anything."

She sighed. "Oh. Sorry, no." Mitchell slowly backed out, guilt building up in his demeanor. She sensed this without even looking and felt a little guilty herself. "Cam!" He peeked his head back in. "Don't be too hard on yourself."

He let out a slow breath and studied her. She was extremely tense. "I guess I should say the same." They locked eyes for a moment then nodded to each other, understanding met.

000


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2

_The Alternate Daniel's Universe_

Daniel would have liked to write down all the things he was learning, but was too afraid that someone would find it. Like Vala. She was prone to picking his pockets and fishing out whatever goodies he had in them at the moment. He had to cancel a few credit cards in the past because of her wandering fingers. Instead, he did his best to commit the differences between this reality and his own to memory.

The changes were subtle, almost too easy to forget. For one, Walter didn't exist in this world. And two, Atlantis was being led by somebody named Dr. Zelenka, not Dr. Weir. Ba'al was not a major system lord, but Camulus was.

Daniel tried to search for any mention of the Tok'ra. He decided to look up Jacob's file. It seems that he and Selmak were also dead, just as they were in his world. Poor Sam. Speaking of which, he looked her up, too. Her record indicated that she was not an active member of SG-1. That didn't sound right. Then he noticed another strange thing on her file. "Maternity leave?" His mouth hung open. _Whoa._

Something told him to look up Jack's file right away. "Nope, still a General." He saw nothing in the record to indicate any differences. He'd have to remember to ask if there were any fish in his pond.

He moved on to Teal'c's next. It read, "Former consultant. Agreement expired." _What the hell happened to Teal'c?_ The record contained no explanation of why he left or where he was off to. He'd have to do a little more digging later.

Finally, he braved his own file. Daniel scanned it, looking for anything different. Everything_ seemed_ to be in order, though it was hardly thorough enough for him to lead a life that wasn't his without causing suspicion. With Sam out of the picture, he wasn't sure who he could turn to without sounding crazy. He just might have to tell Jack. _Ah, crap._ Daniel glanced at his watch. It had been a few hours since he left Vala in her new room. He decided he'd better go check on her.

The door was still locked when he returned. He thought about knocking, then decided that was ridiculous and just opened the door. She was on the bed, browsing the magazine he had left. Vala laid on her stomach, feet up and dangling in the air behind her. She glanced up, then went back to flipping through the magazine.

"Have you Tau'ri ever heard of knocking?"

Daniel chose to ignore her comment. "I'm surprised you're still here."

"Why."

"I thought you would have broken out by now."

"You really think I didn't try? You locked me in."

Daniel scoffed. "As if that ever stopped you before." His grin faded as soon as realized he shouldn't have said that.

Vala stared at him. "You seem to think you know all about me, don't you?"

_Stupid mouth._ "Err, no, I just assumed…"

"Oh now we're assuming!" She sat up angrily. "And on what exactly do you base your assumptions, Daniel Jackson?"

His mouth opened, but no sound came out. Oh he had really done it now. And here he was thinking he could start over with Vala and build a proper friendship. Not the kind where they would hiss and bite at each other all day long. "Aww geez, I'm sorry. I didn't mean…" He had to stop when she began to laugh. Vala fell back onto the bed, cracking up. "Ah hell." _Duped again._

She eventually got enough control back to speak. "You should have seen your face." She laughed a little more. Daniel turned red.

He tried very hard not to raise his voice at her. _There is still hope_, he reminded himself. A very slim hope at that. "Don't do that again."

She put a fake pout on her face, as if in pity. "Oh, poor naïve little Daniel. _This _is why your ship got stolen. You're far too gullible."

_Grrrrrrr._ He plastered his own smile on his face. "And you're too fake," he said in a higher-pitched, mocking tone. She frowned at him. _Ha!_ Then she looked away. "Oh no, don't play the hurt card with me."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she replied, not looking at him.

Daniel shook his head, but sat on the edge of the bed anyway. He figured a change of subject would diffuse the tension she was emitting. "You hungry?"

Her expression and demeanor changed instantly. "Do you have more of those… alp, allp…"

"Apples?"

"Yes, those."

"Yeah, we do." She grinned. "I'll give you more on one condition." Her smile faltered.

"What."

"That you behave yourself."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that while on this ship you should conduct yourself with decorum. I'm not going to bring you apples. But I'll bring you to them. So, behave."

"If you say so."

"I do say so. Now come on, let's go." He rose and started for the door. Then something clicked in his mind. This was Vala Mal Doran and being very specific was a necessity. He turned around. She was already behind him. "Don't wink at other people. Don't talk about what happened here when it was just you and me."

"Can I make up stories about when it was just you and me?"

"No."

"Drat."

"Don't steal anything from anybody or anywhere. Don't accidentally trip and fall and have something magically appear in your pockets. Because I'll know."

"That's a lot of _don'ts_, Daniel." He turned around, not feeling the need to justify that comment with a response. "What about _do's_?"

"Huh," he wondered, eyes flicking to the side as she approached.

"What am I allowed to do?" Her hand reached around his arm to capture his side.

Daniel sighed and grabbed her hand. The action pulled her close to him. "Certainly not me."

"Why not!"

"Because."

"That's not an answer."

"Damn straight. Do you want an apple or not?"

She instantly gave up. "Let's go." Vala was out the door before he could blink.

000

_The Original Daniel's Universe_

It had taken time, lots and lots of time, but Daniel's department finally spit out a translation for the Ancient writing from the walls of the ruin. Sam threw the report on the desk in her old lab of the SGC, disgusted with it. According to his staff, the writing was a sort of poem. It mentioned something about flowers being stars and fields being galaxies. Whatever that meant. Sam was as appreciative of the Ancients as the next scientist, but this was ridiculous.

She brought her fingers to her temples and gave them a rough massage. This whole fiasco was not looking good. Daniel was nowhere to be found (they had searched the entire planet on foot and with scanners) and now Sam had no clues as to where he went. She tried not to dwell on whether he was hurt or worse.

"Samantha." Vala walked in with two steaming cups of hot chocolate. "I take it that you don't like the report," she said staring down at the mess of papers on the desk.

"No. No, I don't." She brought her fingers down and wrapped them around the mug. She smiled up at Vala in appreciation.

Vala sat across from her. "One of Daniel's many minions in the linguistics department told me about it." She picked up a paper and stared at it ruefully. "How ironic that this particular text is a riddle that only Daniel could understand. And look who's the one missing."

"Vala," Sam started, warning her not to start.

"It's all Mitchell's fault."

"What?"

"He was pressing buttons he shouldn't be pressing."

"It's not just Mitchell's fault."

"What are you saying?"

"I think all of us have a little share in the blame."

"Hmpf. Not me." Vala sipped her drink and found it was still much too hot. She set the mug back down.

"Actually…" That got her attention. Vala looked up. "You didn't have to snark with him so much."

"What does that have to do with anything!"

"Mitchell would have let you stay together, otherwise."

"Sam, are you taking his side?" Vala asked, a little taken aback. "I thought us girls are supposed to stick together."

The Colonel regretted what she said, or rather, the way it came across. "No, it's not like that. I'm not saying it's all your fault. It's just that you… you fight so much! It drives everyone crazy."

"All Daniel has to do is stop driving _me_ crazy and we won't have a problem."

"You know, somehow, I think he would say the same thing about you."

Vala stirred her chocolate. "Oooh, when that man gets back I'm going to give him a piece of my brain."

"Mind."

"Whatever."

"And why are you mad at him now? He's not even here."

"That's _exactly_ the problem. He's not here. If he were, Mitchell wouldn't be moping around and you wouldn't be blaming yourself and me along with you!"

"Vala!"

"It's true, Sam!"

"Oy," she said, mimicking Jack O'Neill.

000

_The Alternate Daniel's Universe_

"Oh gawd, it's so goood." Vala drew out that last syllable in a way that had Daniel turning red. "More, more!" she pretended to scream as she chewed.

He snatched the apple out of her hand. He tried to ignore the looks that the people in the mess were giving him and Vala. "Would you stop that!" he whispered heatedly.

"Hey, give it back!" She reached for the apple but Daniel was too quick for her. He raised it out of her reach.

"Not until you stop," he said sternly. She crossed her arms and gave him a dirty look. "Oh, stop being such a child." He tossed the apple back to her, if only to stop her from giving him that nasty expression. She bit into the apple and chose to turn her head and look out the window. Daniel sighed in relief.

"So where are we going?"

"Back home to Earth."

"Your home, not mine."

Daniel didn't want to admit it. But that stung. In all the years he had known his Vala, he was most proud of the fact that she had chosen Earth as her home. It gave him a sense of accomplishment for some strange reason. He didn't have a response to this Vala's comment.

"Where is your planet exactly?"

"Somewhere in a sector, far, far away."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "You're not going to tell me, are you?"

"Not until I can trust you."

"And what will that take?" She bit into the apple again. Daniel watched as she chewed, suddenly reminded of Eve taking a bite of forbidden fruit. He licked his lips unknowingly.

"You trusting me."

"What if I already do?"

"Somehow, I doubt that." Vala smirked.

"And what will happen when we get there?"

He had to think about it. "Well, _you_ get to act the gracious guest and stay on the base. Meanwhile, I get to take care of things on my end."

"What exactly do you do, Daniel Jackson?"

"I told you, I'm an archaeologist. It's like a historian, a keeper of the past."

"And do all keepers of the past look like you?" She had a dubious look on her face that he recognized. He knew exactly what she meant. Were they all hot like she thought he was?

"Probably not," he said without expression.

She settled into her seat further, munching on the last bits of apple. "Too bad."

"Yeah, too bad." He caught sight of the table with drinks. "I'm gonna get a glass of water. You want anything?"

"I have no currency."

"No, you don't have to pay here."

"What kind of establishment is this?"

"It's not any kind of establishment." Daniel sighed inwardly. He would have to explain things to Vala all over again. "This is just the mess hall, a place for everyone to get food and eat. That's it."

"And all these people," she gestured around, "work here on this ship, correct?"

He followed her gaze around at the crew. "Yes, they do."

"Wouldn't that mean I have to work for my meals, too?" She seemed genuinely concerned that there would be a catch. Daniel suspected that she was worried about being forced into a life of servitude again just for stealing a little food.

He sat back down and placed a hand over her own. "You don't need to worry about that. You're safe here," he said gently. He tried giving her a soft smile.

She stared back, apparently trying to determine whether he was being truthful. Vala remained skeptical, but nodded in acceptance. When he came back with a glass of water for her, she was almost afraid to touch it.

Daniel regarded her strangely. "You took the apple with no complaint, Vala. Why so much fuss over taking a glass of water?"

She considered her drink further, then responded, "You obviously come from a wealthy village, Daniel. Where I'm from, people kill for a clean drink."

He leaned forward, curious to know about her past. He'd known another Vala Mal Doran long enough to recognize when she was actually being serious. Trauma from Adria was enough to reveal her tells. The woman before him scrunched her eyes and bit her lip. He pushed the glass slowly toward her. "I told you. You're safe here."

"You keep saying that."

"Because it's the truth."

"You imply that I am not safe elsewhere."

"And that's the truth, too."

She sighed. Vala picked up the glass of water and downed it like a shot of tequila. Daniel sat back, feeling satisfied with himself. The glass clanked as she set it back down. A small smile crossed her face, one that Daniel knew to be genuine appreciation. There was a 'thank you' somewhere in that expression. It was enough for him.

000

_The Original Daniel's Universe_

"Sam."

"Sir."

"Tell me what happened," Jack said in a deceivingly gentle tone.

She fought the urge to wince in front of the video screen. Sam was currently speaking to her commanding officer via video chat. It made her squirm even more. "Well, it turns out the device on P8X-341 has the ability to make a person disappear. To where, I'm not quite sure." She tried to read his blank expression and determine whether or not her answer was appropriate. "Yet," she threw in for good measure.

"And thusly, our very own Daniel was the guinea pig, was he not?"

"Yes, sir."

"And how are our dear colleagues on SG-1 taking the news?"

She pursed her lips before answering. "Mitchell feels extremely responsible and has taken to coordinating search and rescue missions offworld." Jack nodded. "Teal'c is… well, actually Teal'c doesn't seem that much different. He expressed worry but he also seems confident that this will just blow over." Inwardly, Sam wished for that to be true.

Jack cocked his head to the side and said, "Eh." That was no surprise. "And what about everyone's favorite space princess?"

"Vala?" Sam looked down. She never scolded Vala before. That was usually Daniel's department. He was too damn good at it. She felt a little bad, but she still felt justified. "She's denying any part in his disappearance."

"She was out checking the perimeter, right?"

"Yes, sir. Mitchell purposely separated her from Daniel for this mission."

"Normally, I would say that's a smart move." Sam just nodded. Jack went on, "And how does the rest of the SGC fare?"

"It looks like everyone here is working like clockwork."

"No one looks slightly homicidal to you?"

Sam furrowed her brow. She mouthed his words back to him. Jack simply urged her to answer the question with an expression. "No, sir. I haven't noticed."

His hands appeared within the camera's field of view. His fingers tapped each other, Mr. Burns style. "Excellent."

"Sir?"

"Mission accomplished, Carter."

"What!"

"You got SG-1 off everyone's backs."

"But."

"But what. I talked to Landry. He says everyone there is breathing a sigh of relief since you gave SG-1 this nice, little distraction. Hell of a job, Colonel."

Sam was flabbergasted. Holy Hannah, she was sure she was in for it. What's worse is that it would have come from Jack. But the complete opposite happened. He was complimenting her for getting Daniel lost!

She forced her voice to kick itself back into gear. "And what are your orders regarding Daniel's recovery, sir?"

"Recover away, Carter. Do what you need to do. Use what you need to use. And if you happen to find me a big, honkin' space gun in the process, I'll give you a medal."

Sam smiled at this. "Yes, sir."

"Bye, Sammie."

She grinned. She was off the hook. "Bye, Jack."

000

_The Alternate Daniel's Universe_

The Prometheus returned to Earth within the day. The crew was a little dejected, having expected to be away for weeks on end and in another galaxy, to boot. Their excitement had been cut short. Vala pretended not to notice. She couldn't allow herself to feel guilty for that.

The ship docked in a strange underground hangar that Vala could have never fathomed. She realized that they did not like their own people seeing their own vessel. It was baffling. The entire crew also had to submit to numerous medical tests upon arrival. No one was exempt, not even their commanding officer. The bald one. Daniel had warned her about this, and since this was a little scary for her, she sat through the tests in silence.

A ground car was waiting for them when a group of people headed for the SGC emerged at the surface. Daniel led her along, hand gently guiding her by the elbow. She tried craning her neck to see the surrounding scenery, but saw nothing of real interest. It looked like a typical desert planet to her. "I thought you said water was plentiful here," she whispered in his ear.

Daniel laughed outwardly. "You haven't seen anything yet. This is just a small portion of the surface. No one lives around here," he whispered back.

Suddenly feeling sheepish, Vala decided to simply observe before asking more questions. The trip in the strange ground vehicle wasn't very long. They were at an airstrip within a few minutes. Upon arrival they were ushered into what Daniel called a "plane." It looked pretty rickety to Vala. She didn't like the feeling of take-off as it careened into the air, its pilots barely in control in her opinion. She was about to comment on how terrible the inertial dampeners on this ship were when she got distracted by the view. As they rose higher into the sky and banked right, Vala could see with crystal clarity the ground below. The desert was slowly eaten away by signs of civilization. Their structures looked like rectangular ships. And there were so many of them! A place like this surely would have been a target for the Goa'uld. She'd have to find out which one used to live here.

Daniel looked over at Vala, whose face was pressed against the window, and smiled. He always took pleasure in introducing her to new things. The wonder in her eyes made him appreciate his planet and its many wiles even more. To do this a second time was a little disconcerting, but Daniel figured he could probably do better by not _over_-educating her. Meaning, not talking her ear off about this and that. His own Vala had told him several times that that was an area he needed to improve. Jack would probably call it a miracle to find he was actually listening to such advice.

The trip was uneventful. Vala was completely engrossed in the scenery, and only looked away from the window to ask him what was happening. He had to explain that the plane was going to land soon. He also told her to put on her seatbelt. "How is this strap going to help me if we crash?"

"We're not going to crash. People travel in these things all the time. They're just there as a safety precaution. So you don't go falling over if we hit turbulence."

"But I'm sitting down."

"Yes, and… Vala, just put the damn belt on." She gave him a look that said he hadn't explained anything, then did as she was told. Just as her belt clicked, the plane rocked. She sucked in a breath. "See? Turbulence." Daniel patted her hand.

Vala was white as a sheet when they reconnected with the ground again. Daniel was trying very hard not to laugh at her. He couldn't remember his own Vala being this frightened by an airplane. Maybe because she had already seen one on TV before she rode in one. He took her by the hand and led her off the plane, feeling a little sorry for her. She didn't say anything, which told him a lot. She wasn't exactly in the mood to admit how frazzled she had gotten.

The group from the Prometheus traveled as one all the way to the SGC. Once everyone had signed in, they separated to various levels within the mountain. Vala frowned at the drab gray walls that seemed to follow her everywhere she went. Every now and then, Daniel would look back at her to check that she was still there and okay. They seemed to travel through a maze of corridors and lifts before finally stopping at a door.

He slipped a different keycard into the reader and it clicked open. "This is my room." Vala was invited in and noted the four gray walls. It was considerably bigger than her quarters on the ship and only a little less sparse in terms of furniture.

"And I am to stay here?" she questioned, looking at him.

He blushed. "Uhh no. It's just, you haven't been assigned quarters, yet. I have to go and take care of that. Until then, you can hang out here. It's more comfortable in here than in my office."

"Oh." She sat down on the bed. "What's that?" Vala said, pointing at a rectangular black box.

Daniel grinned. "That…" he walked over to it, "is a television. Here on Earth, we value our 2-D entertainment. This box can display a variety of shows. Here, I'll show you one of the recordings I have."

He popped in a Simpsons DVD he found in the shelf below the TV. Soon music was playing and the animated characters came on. Vala leaned forward, confused. "It's a cartoon. Kids usually watch these moving pictures, but a lot of adults like this one, too."

"This is a recording?"

"Yup. Looks like a communication monitor doesn't it?" Vala nodded. "Just so you know - it's not the same. No one can see you here. And come to think of it, I should warn you about this." Daniel pointed at the phone. "It might ring from time to time. Just ignore it."

"Is that a communication device?"

Daniel nodded. "Don't use it. I'll be back soon. You can pop a different show into the player if you want." He showed her how to use the player and the remote control, then left her to go find Jack.

Now alone, Vala allowed herself to let out the breath she had been holding. She figured out the remote easily enough and lowered the volume on the TV. She fell back onto the bed, knees dangling over the edge. Never in a million years would she have ever thought she'd get stuck here. These gray walls resembled a jail cell more than she cared to admit. She'd have to play nice for a little while until she could figure a way out of here.

Vala turned her head and all thoughts of escape immediately paused when she saw something.

000

The rasp of knuckles on the door made Jack's teeth grind. "Come in," he said plainly.

Daniel peeked his head through the door. "Jack?"

"Daniel!" The General smiled. "Back so soon?"

"Yeah, about that."

"I heard you had a little run in with some hi-jackers. Have fun?"

"No, not really."

"Well, what happened?"

"I'm sure you already know."

"Tell me again, Dannyboy." Jack pushed the files he was working on to the side to indicate his interest.

"There's something a little more important that I need to tell you."

"Oh?"

"I'm not the Daniel Jackson you know."

Jack tipped his head to the side and squinted one eye. "Say again?"

"I'm from another reality, Jack. Or another universe. I don't know, Sam might be able to explain it."

"Sam?"

"Yes."

"She's currently unavailable."

"I realize that. So she had a baby?" Daniel asked with a smile.

Jack reciprocated. "Yup."

"With who?"

Jack opened his mouth to respond when someone knocked on the door. One of the airmen peeked in. "Sir, the Kelnowans are requesting an audience with you."

"Tell 'em I'm busy."

"All due respect, sir, but they've been waiting for you for a few hours now."

Jack grumbled. "Tell them," he looked at Daniel briefly, "I'll be there in twenty minutes."

"Yes, sir."

"So, you were telling me you're not you. And yet, all I see is you."

"It's kind of hard to explain. I was offworld one minute, then on the Prometheus the next. I realized I wasn't where I was supposed to be and figured I needed help to get back. When I found out Sam was on leave, I realized I'd have to find you instead."

"So I'm your substitute for Carter?"

"Yeah, sucks don't it?"

"Eh."

"Do you believe me?"

"Nope."

"If you woke up in a world where things were slightly different, wouldn't you wonder? I mean I look around, and I don't recognize half the people that work here."

"I don't recognize three-fourths of the people that work here. Your point?" Jack interrupted.

Daniel ignored this. "There are differences between my world and yours, Jack. Not only people, but events and history. Where I'm from, Ba'al is a major player out there, not Camulus."

Jack scoffed as if this couldn't be true. "Camulus has been a pain in my butt for years. You're telling me there's a place where he's not an overdressed System Lord with an axe to grind?"

"In my world, Camulus is dead."

"Bull."

"I'm serious. And that's not all. Key people who are essential to our operations in my reality are completely missing from this one. Oh, and before I forget, I've got to ask you. Are there fish in your pond?"

"What pond?"

"The one at your lake house. In Minnesota."

"I have a lake house?"

"Jack, are you telling me you don't have a pond?" Daniel said, incredulously.

"No, but I have a condo. That work for ya?"

"Holy shit."

"What?"

"You don't even have a pond. Well I guess that answers the question of whether or not you have fish."

"I have a fish. Named him Homer."

"Of course you did." Leave it to Jack to incorporate the Simpsons into every facet of his life. It was that thought that led him to remember Vala. "Oh, and Jack."

"Yes?"

"I brought a woman home with me."

"Good for you!"

"No, no. You don't understand. She's in need of refuge. During the hi-jacking she…" Daniel stopped. He reconsidered telling Jack the whole truth. But if he gave up Vala now, she'd never forgive him. "She was rescued from our attackers."

"Hammond mentioned her. You sure she's on the level?"

"I'm certain that she has to be watched, but I think we can trust her. Eventually."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Let's just say I have a little intuition about such things."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"It's not supposed to."

"You sure you're alright?"

"No, Jack. That's what I've been trying to tell you!"

Jack's eyes widened. "Alright, alright, no need to shout." He tapped a button on his callbox. "Riley, find me Dr. Lee."

Daniel smiled at first, then it faded a bit. Dr. Lee was not quite the smarty-pants that Sam was. He remembered when the good doctor tried to saw the Kor Mac bracelet off while it was still on his wrist. "What about Sam?"

"Like you said, she's on leave. I'm not bothering her."

"Even if it's for me?"

"Yep."

"Can't we at least consult her on the phone or something? She doesn't have to leave the house. Wait a minute, you never answered my question. Who's the daddy?"

Jack opened his mouth. The callbox beeped. "Sir, Dr. Lee is in his lab. Shall I send for him?"

He pressed a button. "No, no. Just tell him I'm sending Daniel down there. I need him to run a few tests. Oh, and tell Dr. Fraiser to join them."

Daniel leaned forward. "Janet's here?"

"Yeah, why?" Daniel's eyes began to sparkle. "What's wrong with Janet?"

"She's…. she's…" He looked down. "Nothing." Seeing her again would be a treat. It certainly had been the last time an alternate version of her appeared at the SGC's doorstep.

Before Daniel forgot, he got a new keycard and room assignment for Vala. He requested that she be stationed as close to his room as possible. When he went back to check on her, she was fast asleep again. The TV was stuck on a still of Simpsons credits. He turned it off and sat on the bed.

She was curled up on top of the covers again. Her mouth was set in that hard line he noticed before. Daniel knew it was a little much to ask her to accept her situation so readily. So instead, he slipped the new keycard into the drawer and removed a pad and pen. Writing a note in Goa'uld, he told her not to worry and that he'd be back soon. He also warned her not to wander the halls without him or else she might get lost.

Daniel hoped this would be enough. He switched the TV to receive broadcast stations. Hopefully that would keep her busy when she woke up. He left the door unlocked this time and headed for Bill Lee's lab.

000

By the time Daniel had finished explaining his situation to Bill and Janet, they were a little surprised to say the least. Janet immediately put a palm to Daniel's forehead. He swatted her away, complaining that there was nothing medically wrong with him. She wasn't so convinced.

Bill was intrigued. He mentioned that before she left, Sam had been working on something related to multi-verse theory. He dug out a humongous hand-held scanner from a closet and began running it up and down his chest. It resembled a metal detector wand, only much, much bigger and with lots of blinking lights. Dr. Lee hummed and hawed as he studied the read-outs. Janet, now bored, wondered aloud if she could take Daniel off his hands. Bill waved a hand in dismissal.

She dragged him to the infirmary and ran a battery of tests on him. Daniel protested the constant poking and prodding. Janet argued that these were necessary to corroborate his testimony. At her stern tone, he crumbled and submitted to her torture. Just like old times.

000

_The Original Daniel's Universe_

Sam was more relaxed now that Jack had confirmed his full confidence in her. She was actually humming. It was almost time for a progress report and the remainder of SG-1 would be walking into her lab any moment. She scrolled through different reports and read-outs that had been submitted by her crew. One of them struck her as strange. A section of wall in that planet's ruins was giving off a different reading than others. She continued humming as she analyzed the data.

"What are you humming about?" Vala said crossly as she entered. She sat down across from Sam and let her chin drop into her hand. Sam just smiled.

"What are you smiling about?" Mitchell said, hopeful. Sam just shook her head.

Teal'c walked in and quietly took a seat next to her. "Any news, Colonel Carter?"

"Nope. Not yet."

The team looked at each other. They wondered what the point of this meeting was. Sam ignored them, as a piece of the wall puzzle intrigued her. If she tried canceling out the energy like this… she pulled up a model of the EM pulses that the wall was emitting… then maybe it would… "Aha!"

Mitchell leaned forward, craning his neck to look at the indecipherable waves on her screen. "What? What?"

"I figured out how to turn off a wall."

Vala shook her head, wondering if she had heard that right. "Does that have anything to do with finding Daniel?"

Sam froze. "Huh. I suppose so. I was just excited to figure out the wall." Vala gave her the craziest look.

"Would anything be behind this wall, Colonel Carter?" Teal'c asked.

Grinning, she said, "Only one way to find out, huh?"

000

Just as she had predicted, Sam turned off the wall. It wasn't really a wall, per say, but a very convincing holographic projection. The section of wall it represented also happened to contain the silly Ancient poem about flowers and fields. But that's not what had SG-1 in such a tizzy.

Because behind that very convincing holographic projection was a stasis pod. And inside that stasis pod was a person. The same person that they were looking for. One Daniel Jackson. "Holy buckets," Sam said.

Vala knocked on the glass. "Hello! Wake up!" Daniel remained asleep.

"How do we get him out of there?" Mitchell asked, examining the pod closely. Teal'c stood back calmly.

Vala fumed, "You know that's so typical of Daniel. To fall asleep at a time like this. We've been all over this planet looking for him and here he is, fast asleep like a little baby! When he wakes up I am so going to give him a piece of my brain!"

"Mind," the other three corrected as one.

"Whatever."


	3. Chapter 3

Part 3

_The Alternate Daniel's Universe_

"There's nothing wrong with you," Janet commented as she looked at her clipboard.

"I told you," Daniel replied. He had the decency to look chastised when she shot him a look of annoyance.

"You are in exactly the same state that you left with, Daniel. Are you sure you didn't get bumped in the head during your encounter?"

"No, no, I'm fine. Seriously, you have got to believe me. I'm not the same Daniel. Somehow my mind is in this," he said, gesturing at his body, "body, which happens to be exactly the same, well, almost, as mine!"

Janet looked at him doubtfully.

Daniel started muttering to himself, looking down. "It's the same thing as an Ancient Communication device. Except there are no stones that I'm aware of involved. And I'm in my own body." He looked up, possibilities opening up in his mind. He didn't notice that she had no idea what an Ancient Communication device was. This universe hadn't found one yet. "Janet!"

"Yes?"

"I think I know what happened!"

"And what's that?"

"I really did travel to another reality. But it was only my mind! There's a way to break the connection!"

"Okay? How?"

Daniel drew a blank. "Oh. I haven't quite figured that out yet."

"Daniel, I think you need to go lay down."

"No, Janet, I'm telling you, I'm fine."

"Daniel," she said with a strict tone. "Don't make me give you an escort back to your quarters."

"Fine," he said like a petulant child. "I need to check on Vala anyway."

"Who is this woman again?"

"We rescued her," he lied. "She was a slave to the aliens who tried to steal the Prometheus." Janet didn't respond because Daniel had gotten up to comply with her request. He just grinned at her then walked out of the infirmary.

Vala was awake when he had returned. It looked like she had just woken up, in fact. She rubbed at her eyes before regarding him. He smiled at her, and she felt weary. The only time people were this nice was when they wanted something. He claimed that he only wanted information about his dead wife. And every time she tested him, he rebuffed her sexual advances. It was the strangest thing she'd ever seen. He didn't even pretend to enjoy her flirtatious behavior. On any other world, one would begin to suspect if he even liked girls. Then he claimed he was trying to protect her from dangers unseen. _Pfft._ If he really knew what it was like out there, he wouldn't step foot off his fair planet ever again.

Daniel pulled the chair out from the bureau and sat near her. She was still on the bed, looking at him strangely. He opened the drawer and pulled out a keycard. "Here. This is for you. I slipped it in here while you were sleeping. The room you've been given is just a couple doors down from this one." He extended the keycard toward her, but she didn't take it. His smile disappeared. "What's wrong?"

"Why am I really here?"

"What do you mean? I told you."

"You tell me I'm not your captive and yet I've been locked in rooms ever since I agreed to follow your lead. Go with the current."

"Flow."

"What?"

"It's 'go with the flow.'"

"Whatever. The point is, you haven't shown me one ounce of trust. How is that supposed to make _me_ trust you?"

"Whoa, whoa. You could have left this room anytime you wanted. The door was unlocked!"

Vala furrowed her brows. "Oh. Well, I didn't know that. But that's not the point! When are you going to tell me what's really going on!"

Daniel wasn't quite sure how to answer. He stared at her for a moment before finally saying, "You remind me of someone."

"Of your dead wife?" she accused.

"No. Not her. Someone else."

"You're keeping me here because I _remind_ you of someone? What will you come up with next?"

"Look, there are a lot of reasons why I chose to vouch for you instead of turning you in. One, you were a host. That makes you special in that you're still _alive_." Vala's mind hung on to the word "special." "Two, you could be killed if you ventured out there right now."

"I've lived this long without your doting protection."

"Yes, I know, but soon enough your luck is going to run out." Daniel had another thought. "Speaking of running. Aren't you tired of it?"

"No."

"You can't be serious about that. Look, I know going home to where you grew up is not an option anymore…"

"And _how_ do you know this?"

"Lucky guess. Wouldn't it be nice to settle down and find some peace after all the things you've been through?"

"I like my life."

Daniel considered her for a moment. "Honestly?"

"Yes!" she yelled. But a tiny part of her mind was beginning to question her resolve.

"Really, Vala?" He still hadn't believed it. Damn her emotions for letting her lose control. She should be distracting this man with seduction. The only problem is, it doesn't seem to work! All this _talk_ made her uncomfortable. She was eager to move on to more familiar territory, like sex or profit. "Even if you don't make your home here, which I'm not putting any pressure on you to do, you should think about making a home somewhere."

He pushed the keycard at her again. "Think about what it must be like to have your own place. Somewhere permanent to go back to."

She stared at the keycard, not completely convinced. "What if I don't want one?"

Daniel dropped his head slightly, but didn't waver. "That's completely up to you. But before you decide to up and escape, I've got to warn you. The Lucian Alliance is growing in power. And the next swindle you make might cause you to cross paths with them again. Do you really want to take that risk every day?"

"Of course not. But I have no other options. Such is life."

"Life doesn't have to be that way, Vala. Your options are not as limited as you think."

She squirmed under his intense look. This was just not her. She never shared this much with anyone. Ever. And especially not with a man like this one. He was only useful to satisfy a craving and should be nothing more. And she hadn't even revealed anything out loud. It seemed as though he could read her like a book. She was unnerved by it.

"You said that you were not forcing me to stay here, right?"

He leaned back in his chair, suddenly uncertain. "Right."

"Then let me go."

Daniel couldn't hide the hurt he felt. What had he been expecting? That she would fall head over heels for him within a few days and stay with him for the rest of her life? Unlikely. They barely knew each other. Rather, she barely knew him!

He knew he couldn't let her come back. He'd probably be out of this body by then, and there was no telling if the original Daniel would remember anything that had transpired since his mental suppression. Vital details about this woman would be inaccessible, and then, how would he save her? She was just as likely to come back with some sort of new scheme that would start the whole Ori fiasco all over again. She'd be hurt again.

No, if she left it had to be for good. But Daniel couldn't stand the thought of saying something terrible to make sure she wouldn't come back. The fight just wasn't in him anymore. This whole experience had made him reconsider who Vala really was and how she came to be. Even though she hadn't shared much in the time he'd known this version of her, it told volumes about the one he had waiting for him back home. This side of Vala had been put away for safe-keeping. He rarely saw it anymore, unless he provoked it. Is that why he fought with her so much? Because he was trying to understand her? She truly was an enigma.

"Daniel?"

His thought pattern was broken up by her voice. "You're not letting me go," she realized, almost sounding defeated.

"If you leave, you can never come back."

"Fine."

"I'm serious. There's no telling what'll happen in the next few years. Things might," he paused, "change. I might change. And then the Daniel you come looking for won't be the one you remember." He could only go that far to warn her. The truth was out of the question. He had changed this reality enough.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. But if you say I'm not welcome here after I leave, then I can handle that."

He started to say that she would always be welcome, but stopped himself. That would only be the truth in his reality. His silence confirmed for Vala what she had just suggested. She stood up from the bed.

"You're not leaving now, are you?" he said, suddenly scared.

Vala wasn't blind. She saw the hurt in his eyes when she had mentioned getting out of here. He truly had a restless soul, going through all this trouble to keep her here for who knows what reason. His justifications were all so confusing and unorthodox to her. She pitied him in a way, and couldn't help but placate him for the moment. "No, not yet."

He seemed to release some tension in his body.

"You said you wanted to know about your wife."

"Yes, but I'm not forcing you to tell me what you don't know."

"I get that. But there is something." He looked up, daring not to hope. "Amonet was infamous among the Goa'uld for being unable to exert complete control over its hosts. I remember when the symbiote had a different host than your wife, decades ago, the host managed to take control and ridicule the entire System Lord council."

"How do you know it wasn't my wife's body?"

"Because I saw her picture." Vala pointed to the simple framed photo of Sha're on his nightstand. It was the same one he usually kept in his office. "And I've kept memories from Qetesh."

Daniel's attention lingered on the picture of his wife. "Oh."

"That's all I remember. But it's possible that your wife could have left something behind for you to find. Maybe in a place she once lived."

"No, Abydos is gone."

"Abydos?"

"It was destroyed."

"No, it wasn't."

"Vala, I saw it. The planet was destroyed."

"You must have been on the wrong planet. I was just on Abydos a few months ago."

"What?" He didn't want to believe it, lest he be disappointed.

"It's a barren land. No one lives there anymore. Which is exactly why I went there. The people abandoned their homes and left them as they were. I sought refuge in one of those homes."

"Are you sure we're talking about the same planet!"

"Dead sure. Go back there and find out. Maybe you'll get lucky and find a piece of her there." The painful smile he wore told Vala that he bore a lot of burdens. Those muscled arms weren't just for show.

"Thank you."

"You have nothing to thank me for, Daniel. We had an agreement. I honored it."

Daniel just shook his head. "And now I suppose, you'd like to be let go."

Vala didn't disagree with him. He didn't say anything for a little while. Finally, she reached out a hand to stroke his face. "I can tell you're a good man. And that you didn't deserve what happened to you. But you can't keep living in the past."

She didn't know how true her words really were. Daniel was literally living in the past at this very moment. He wasn't going to stay in this reality forever. And he wouldn't be here to greet her if and when Vala tried to come back to Earth. Now that she was being completely honest with him, he had a strong feeling that she would try to come back. And then everything would get all messed up because the other him wouldn't remember her or know what to do with her.

"I can promise that, if you can promise not to come looking for me again."

"So, I'll become a piece of your past, then?" She chuckled.

He smiled ruefully. "I guess so."

000

_The Original Daniel's Universe_

Sam was comparing the schematics of this stasis pod with the one in Antarctica. It was remarkably similar. The only problem was, she still didn't know how to open it. The Asgard had freed O'Neill when he was in there. They didn't exactly have time to explain how to open a stasis pod to her. She'd probably need Jack to fly out here and open it himself, if he could.

Vala just stood across the room staring at Sam, who was staring at the pod with Daniel in it. She had every confidence that the woman would figure it out, but she was almost hoping that she wouldn't. At least, not for a while. She turned an icy glare on the sleeping form of Daniel Jackson. The man made her blood boil. Especially these past months. There were fleeting moments when she thought about Tomin and whether or not she should have gone with him. But she quickly dismissed those thoughts as soon as they came. It would never have worked between them.

It would never work with Daniel, either. That much was obvious. But that was why she was always so angry with him, wasn't it? The realization that they could never be more than friends but weren't satisfied as friends either. The thought of leaving never, ever crossed her mind. As much as she got frustrated with Daniel, Earth was now her home. There was more than just Daniel and gravity holding her there.

Cam walked in discreetly and stood next to Vala. "How's she doin'?" he whispered.

Vala nodded negatively. "Nothing yet."

"Cam," Samantha called. "Come here."

"Uh oh." He did as he was told.

Sam gestured toward the device. "Tell me what you did."

"Aww Sam, do you have to rub it in? I messed up, I get it."

"No, no. Just tell me what you pressed. I need to know to figure this out."

"Oh. Well…" He gestured to the few random buttons he remembered pushing. Then he put on a sheepish grin when he admitted he didn't remember the final combination.

Vala sighed in the background. "I'm gonna go see what Teal'c is doing." She ventured out into the sun and frowned. "Damn, I forgot my sunblock."

"You are always forgetting your sunblock, Vala Mal Doran." Teal'c had stepped out from behind a tall ruin, P-90 at the ready.

She hadn't been surprised by his appearance. Neither of them had a symbiote anymore, but she could sense him a mile away. She turned to her friend, the one she could never find reason to fight with. "Why can't Daniel be more like you?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Does Daniel Jackson not comment on your forgetfulness often?"

"No, no, no, Muscles. I mean… quiet. Stoic. _Nice_."

"I believe he is all three at the moment."

Vala snorted, then laughed. "You got that right."

"Perhaps you would like him better if his attitude toward you improved."

"Another correct comment, Teal'c. You know, sometimes I think you're smarter than he is."

"We each have our own talents and gifts. Mine are not comparable to Daniel Jackson's."

"Hmm. You're right. He's one of a kind," she said in a not-so-complimentary tone.

"Perhaps you are too hard on him." This was the first bit of original advice she'd heard from Teal'c about the matter. He had taken to pointing out the obvious lately, which was nice, but never helped.

She faced him. "You can't be serious."

"I am always serious."

"Right."

"I am merely trying to explain that you have yet to see the world through his eyes. Like you, he has lived a difficult life. Though his experiences were different, you are more alike than you realize."

"I think you have it backwards, Muscles. I see his perspective perfectly. It's mine that he doesn't bother to understand. And that's what irks me the most. He can't respect my opinion if he doesn't care to know how I come across it."

"Point well taken."

"Ay, you two. Sam figured something out!" Cam called from the room's entrance.

000

_The Alternate Daniel's Universe_

Jack never believed Daniel when he said he was from some other reality. He didn't believe Sam, either, when she said it was possible on the phone. What he did think, however, was that this Vala character was trouble. He could smell it. Daniel was clearly enthralled with her, but was letting her go. He must have realized she was more trouble than she was worth, too.

He said he wanted to go back to Abydos. Jack dutifully reminded him that nothing was there. Just the houses that his family and old village left behind. Daniel stamped his foot and said he was going. Jack rolled his eyes and approved the trip. He sent SG-14 along for good measure. Apparently, the lady-friend was going with him. When Daniel and his friend were out of hearing range, he ordered SG-14 to make sure this woman actually did leave and not come back with them.

Dry, dusty air assaulted Daniel's nose when he stepped through the stargate. He breathed in deeply, absolutely beside himself at being on Abydos again. His eyes scanned the immediate area, quickly finding the ruins of his old home. Vala started for it, seeming to know her way around already. Half of SG-14 stayed at the gate, while the other half followed them. She looked back at them suspiciously, wondering just what they were for.

Daniel ran through the sand to enter the village. He looked around in wonder, the sights reactivating his decaying memories. There was the tent where the finest cloth on Abydos was spun. Here had been the home of the village storyteller. And that one. On the far left. Used to be his and Sha're's. He rushed off to greet it like an old friend. Vala hung back, not comfortable at all. She didn't know why she agreed to come with him here. She felt like she was invading someone's privacy the way a symbiote invaded someone's body. This felt wrong, and yet, Daniel had been grateful to her. She simply couldn't understand the man.

She decided to distract herself with the impressionable young men of SG-14. She sent them a flirtatious smile.

Inside his old home, Daniel simply stood. The heavy tarps serving as a roof had been reduced to rags, yet he still spied hints of the colorful designs they once held. One of the support columns had tipped over, but he knew there used to be a large pot there. He knelt down and found a piece of a shoe. It had been his once but now was crumbling into dust. Looking up, he spied the place where Sha're and he had shared a bed.

Tears began to flood his eyes. He knelt down on the once-soft coverlets. They were rough now, weathered by a lack of protection and the desert heat. He still brought them to his face, hoping for a latent smell that would remind him of her. No such luck, and he wasn't surprised. He, the purveyor of countless ruins, knew all too well that there would be little to salvage here.

Something caught the sun and sparkled. He reached for it among the blankets. It was a jewel encased in a necklace. The design was terribly simple, having been put together with pieces of twine. Daniel didn't recognize it. Someone like Vala must have taken refuge in his former home and left this behind. He put it back in its resting place, to be found by some other soul who would happen to want for such a jewel.

He wiped at stray tears with the back of his hand. He never thought he'd see this place again, ruined or not. The Abydos he knew was gone. Inaccessible. He could never have come back here… unless he was already dead. Vala was right. Sha're left pieces of herself everywhere. He saw it in the rags that once made up the roof, in the pot she used to cook with, in the bed they used to sleep in. Daniel ran his hand over every surface, knowing this would be his one and only chance.

A huge weight lifted off his shoulders. It was a weight he had thought long gone. A relieving sense of closure washed over him as he looked over his ruined tent. If the need to fight had been slowly dissipating before, it was completely gone now. The Vala of this world was exactly correct. Living in the past was nothing compared to being in the present. It had taken traveling to another universe and meeting another her to show him that. Daniel didn't think he was living in the past, but maybe part of him always was. Trying to regain a piece of what he had lost but could never get back.

His sad expression had transformed into a genuine smile. He whispered words of love to his dead wife and could almost swear the breeze brushing his cheek was her loving response.

000

_The Original Daniel's Universe_

"There's another pod in here." Sam pointed to a wall near Daniel. She tapped a few commands into her tablet, which was connected to the control panel. "See?" Another holographic wall disappeared and a stasis pod took its place.

"And what do you suppose this will help us do?" Vala asked carefully. She eyed it with suspicion.

"According to what I've learned, the pods are connected. They're not unlike the Ancient Communication stones."

"You mean the ones that transported us to the Ori galaxy?" Vala shivered when Sam nodded. "We have to get him out of there! He could be in another evil galaxy right now, accidentally inciting another war."

"Paranoid much?" Cam quipped. Vala glared at him.

"Ummm, no I don't think that's what this thing does."

Teal'c clasped his hands behind his back. "Please explain, Colonel Carter."

"It's too early to come up with any working theories. I just have a hunch, that's all."

"Let me guess," Cam said, "you don't want to jinx it by telling us about it."

Sam smiled and that told him he was right. Who said scientists couldn't be superstitious? "All I know is, someone's gonna have to get in that pod and see if they can make contact with Daniel."

"I'll go," Cam volunteered. "I got him into this mess. It's only right that I should be the one getting him out."

"I have to warn you, Cam. I don't know what kind of risks there are. This is all really sketchy right now."

"S'kay. I can handle sketchy," he said with confidence. "So what do I do?"

Sam tapped a few buttons on her tablet. "Stand over by the pod." She looked up to Cam doing just that. "Now… just stay calm and wait." She began to press buttons on the console itself.

"Wait for what?" The console lit up and a colorful display of lights filled the room. Vala and Teal'c were enamored with them. When they dissipated, Cameron was gone.

Vala and Teal'c turned in surprise; neither had seen him slip into the stasis pod. Vala leaned onto the glass and tapped near his face. "Hello? Can you hear me?" Cameron did not respond. He looked just as sound asleep as Daniel. Vala turned back to Sam. "Is it working?"

She furrowed her brow. "I'm not sure. The system is giving me different readings, but I'm not sure what they mean."

Vala glanced back at Cameron's peaceful face. Then back at Samantha. "They're not in trouble are they?"

"Vala Mal Doran," Teal'c warned.

"What." She glanced back at Cameron to find him awake and staring at her. "Ahhh!" She jumped back, running into Teal'c.

The door of the stasis pod opened automatically. Cameron stumbled out, but refused his team's offers for help. He just held his head for a moment, then shook it. "Whoa," he muttered.

"What did you see?" Sam asked.

It took him some time to respond. The team stared at him worriedly. "I was me. But I wasn't me." The trio looking after him shared looks. "It was like a time warp. I was in physical therapy, just like a few years back after my crash. I could feel how weak I was compared to now. It was surreal."

"How did you get out of there so quickly?" Vala asked, gentleness in her tone this time. She had heard about the circumstances that brought Cameron into the SGC. It wasn't the prettiest bedtime story.

"All I know is that I wanted out of there, quick. Next thing I know, I end up back here."

Sam's face screwed up as she thought. "Maybe that's it. A person's desire to be there or not."

"Are you saying Daniel hasn't come out yet because he _likes_ it in there?" Vala questioned.

Cameron rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know, Princess. Maybe someone else should give it a whack."

"I will try," Teal'c said. He stood by the pod and waited for Sam to activate the system. Now that both Cameron and Vala had seen the light show, they focused on how the pod worked. It had an impressive display of its own that carefully snaked in its next occupant with ribbons of light. Teal'c remained calm and then quite easily fell asleep in there once the door closed.

Almost immediately, the door popped back open.

"Teal'c?" Sam asked.

"I did not see Daniel Jackson."

"What did you see, buddy?"

"Many Jaffa. Rallying against the Goa'uld Camulus."

"Camulus?" Sam called out, surprised. "He's dead!"

"Indeed. It was surreal, as Mitchell said."

"Okay, my turn." Vala stepped in front of the pod. She looked at Daniel. "You better come out or I'll chase you out!" He didn't respond. Vala turned back to her blonde friend. "Hit it, Sam."

Sam shrugged and started up the sequence again.

000

_The Alternate Daniel's Universe_

Vala sucked in a breath of hot, dry air. It was a vast difference from the musty, damp air she had grown accustomed to in that chamber. She regained her vision and found herself face to face with a couple of flyboys from SG-14. They were grinning at her. She shook her head, feeling cobwebs.

She felt strange. She looked down. Why the hell was she wearing this terrible flight suit? She looked back up at the two men. "Where's Daniel?"

Their smiles faded into confusion. One of them pointed. She turned around and walked in that direction. Well, it would be about damn time. The village was dilapidated to say the least. She'd seen a dozen copies of it on every desert world she ever visited. It looked abandoned. Daniel's kind of place, she mused.

When she found him, Vala was struck by how calm he looked. He was whispering quietly into nothing, and she couldn't understand what he was saying. No doubt it was one of the billion languages he knew. She cocked her head. Certainly by now he would have heard her coming. He usually knew when she was around because he had a big, fat comment ready to hurl at her.

Vala studied the tent. It was more a ruin, really. No one had lived here for years. And if she could pull Daniel away from here, it would stay that way. "Time to come home, Darling." She said it in an even voice so as not to startle him as much.

"Vala," he spoke, without turning around. "What took you so long?" It sounded as if he'd been expecting her.

"I should ask you the same thing."

"I didn't have a way to come back home." He turned around and looked absolutely serene. Vala tilted her head, curious.

"You could have come back anytime you wanted. Apparently, you could just think it."

"Really?"

"Yep."

"What is this place, Daniel? A dream?"

"No, not a dream. I used to live here."

Vala's eyes widened. "When?"

"When Sha're was still alive." Vala gasped and looked around. This used to be Daniel's village?

"How is this possible? I thought your village was destroyed."

"In this reality, it wasn't. Abydos lives on."

"Is this why you didn't come home to us? Because you were here?"

"Honestly, I didn't know I could just think my way back home. I would have tried clicking my heels if it occurred to me."

"Okay, Dorothy, maybe we should go now."

Daniel nodded, looking completely at peace. "I'm not surprised that it's you pulling me back."

Vala smirked. "Why, because I'm always the one pulling your ass out of the fire?"

Daniel grinned back. "Yeah, in more ways than one."

"Huh?"

He chuckled. "Go ahead. I'll be right behind you."

"You know, you said that once before and that backfired on you."

"This time, I mean it. I just have one more thing to do."

Vala sighed. "You are an enigma, Daniel Jackson." A kooky grin crossed his face. "I will come after you if you don't come home," she warned, shaking a finger at him. He continued smiling. Now this was his Vala. She had no qualms about where her _home_ was. She rolled her eyes.

The woman before him suddenly blinked. She breathed in, a little surprised to find herself here. She hadn't dared to come near this tent. Wasn't that why she was flirting with those two men over there?

"I want to say, thank you, again. If it weren't for you, I never would have had the chance to see this place again."

Vala took in the sight of the old, ratty tent. She didn't want to tell him that this was the very same tent she had taken refuge in a few months ago. She wondered if that little necklace was still lying about. "You keep thanking me, but I still don't understand why."

"It's okay. You don't have to. Remember our agreement?"

"Not seeing you again? I still don't get that part, either."

"Because _I_ won't be here if you try to come back. I'll be a different person."

"Why?"

"It's hard to explain. You can chalk it up to memory loss."

"You know you're going to lose your memory?" Vala didn't believe it.

"Something like that. If you ever see me again, just be careful. I won't trust you anymore."

"Daniel, you're not making any sense. But let's face it, you were always a little, pfft, wonko." He laughed out loud, recognizing the exact same gesture the other Vala had made in a video a couple years back. "You know what, I think you're right. We should never, ever meet again. You're a little too wonko for me. And believe me, I know wonko."

"Good luck, Vala. And goodbye."

She gave him a look, then left. That would be the last she'd ever see of him. She sidled up to the pair from SG-14 and whispered naughty things to them. They laughed and let her pass. Vala didn't look back as she stepped through the gate. She never looked back.

Daniel didn't watch her go. He simply took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

Moments later, when they opened again, the owner of those eyes was instantly confused. He scanned his surroundings and recognized them easily. Turning around quickly and looking in, he whispered, "Sha're," and he smiled.

000

Vala woke up and came out of the pod with little assistance required. "Well?" Cam asked expectantly.

"He said he'll be right behind me." They all stared at Daniel's pod. He didn't move. "Oh the lying son…" His eyes opened. The stasis pod door swung open slowly. "Oh."

It took him more time to recover than the others, with his stasis being so long. Teal'c and Cameron helped him out of it and kept him on his feet. He was so disoriented that he couldn't manage to stand on his own. So they sat him down against a real wall. His vision was blurred, which Vala fixed by replacing his glasses. When he looked up, both she and Sam were looking down on him.

"Are you okay, Daniel?" Sam asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, I think so."

Vala, knowing where he had been, allowed a small ghost of a smile to raise the corner of her mouth. "He'll be fine. He's a trooper."

"Hmm."

Sam stood up fully and walked over to the console. She began to pack up her equipment.

"So does it do what you think?" Cam asked of the machine. He kneeled down to help her pull the modern cords out of the device.

Sam stole a look at Daniel, who had Teal'c and Vala leaning over him. "I'm not sure yet. I'll have to wait until he's in better shape to tell us what happened."

"It's damn lucky he didn't get hurt." Mitchell crossed his arms and sighed. Sam patted his back with her hand. She knew the feeling.

"How about now, darling?"

"I can try," Daniel said weakly. Teal'c and Vala each took an arm and gently raised him up. He felt a little dizzy, but the feeling soon passed. "Thanks, Teal'c." The Jaffa nodded and released him. But Daniel wouldn't release Vala. He leaned into her more, signaling he'd at least need her support. She didn't protest.

Sam was finished packing up. Cam looked at the pair. "Shall we?"

Daniel replied, "Lead on."

000

The SGC was quiet when the team came back. Sam stayed just long enough for Dr. Lam to give everyone a clean bill of health. Satisfied that everything was back to normal, she headed back for her post on the _George Hammond_. No doubt she'd have to wait 'til later to hear from Daniel about his experience.

Cam gave him the biggest bear hug, apologizing profusely for pressing too many buttons. Daniel laughed with him and told him it was all okay. He couldn't complain. Teal'c had offered him a respectful nod of the head, then mentioned he was behind on training the members of the SGC. Both of them left, leaving the so-called Obstruction (Daniel and Vala) in the infirmary. The nurses eyed them wearily.

Daniel tipped his head toward the door. "Let's get out of here." Vala shrugged and helped him up. As they slowly made for the elevator, he asked, "Can you drive?"

"Where are we going?"

"Home." Vala wasn't surprised by his request. She knew she could easily call for a driver from the base to pick her up later.

When they arrived at Daniel's apartment, it was the usual mess. "Could you help me over to my room?"

"You can't be serious," she mumbled while she helped him. "You've been asleep for _days_ and now you want more?"

"Not right away. But this is better than the couch."

Vala had slept on his lumpy couch before. She couldn't disagree. After dumping him on the bed, she sat next to him. He was staring at the ceiling quietly. "Well?"

"You were there."

"Obviously."

"I relived the day we met." He turned to her to gauge her reaction.

"On the Prometheus? Where I beat you up?"

He slapped her arm playfully. "Whatever."

"How'd you get there? That was years ago."

"I know. I guess that universe was moving through time at its own pace. I really don't know why I traveled back in time as well as across realities."

"So _that's_ what happened to you?"

"Mmm hmm."

Daniel went on to tell her about his time there. He told her about his decision to change their timeline on purpose. He explained his hope that the chain of events he had set in motion wouldn't lead them to the Ori. Vala seemed to agree that it was a wise decision. She argued though about whether or not her counterpart would come back.

"Well, I told her not to."

"And when have I ever listened to you, Darling?"

"You have a point."

"I always do."

He stuffed a pillow in her face. Vala just grabbed it and fluffed it behind her head. They were both lying on the bed now, staring up at the ceiling. "Did you really give her a speech about having a home and all that?"

"Yeah."

"How'd she react?"

"She looked at me like I was nuts." Vala turned her head and he did the same. "But hey, what's new?"

She laughed. "I think she'll come around. Eventually. It may take some work, but I'm sure you could do it again."

"I had this crazy idea that I could start over with you." Vala turned her body to face his. "You know, without the bickering and the, well, violence." She grinned.

"But that's what makes us the best of friends, Daniel."

He gave her a sour look, but it was good-natured. "I'm gonna try to be better to you, Vala. Sometimes I forget what you've been through."

She sighed, smiling gently at him. "And I forget what you've been through. So… I accept your apology."

"Ah hell," he grumbled.

"As long as you accept mine."

Daniel chuckled. "Deal." They gave each other a quick, platonic kiss to seal the deal. Yes, there was hope for them after all. He'd always been told that "what if?" was a useless question to ask because one would never know the answer. In this case, he already knew the answer. What if Vala had never escaped from the Prometheus and come back with a silly tablet that would change their lives? His life would have been just a little less interesting, that was for sure. He wouldn't give up his own Vala for the world.


End file.
